Study on Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of an Al–Cu–Sn Alloy Wall Deposited by Double-Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing Process

Abstract

In this present study, single-wire and double-wire Al–Cu–Sn alloy walls were fabricated by an arc additive manufacturing process. The surface morphology, elemental composition, and microstructure were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The mechanical properties of both the single-wire and double-wire walls were studied by mechanical property testing. The results showed that the heat input of the double-wire wall was lower than that of the single-wire wall at the same wire feeding speed. The surface microstructure of the double-wire wall showed a more uniform surface than the single-wire wall. The grains of the double-wire wall were found to be isometric crystals in the as-deposited state. The θ phase of the double-wire wall was dispersed with a smaller grain size in the grain boundary. After T6 heat treatment, the θ phase of the double-wire wall was completely dissolved into the aluminum matrix, and a large amount of θ’ enhanced phases were precipitated with a phase spacing of about 15 nm. The mechanical properties of the double-wire wall were shown to have significantly improved performance, which further increased to 490 MPa, 420 MPa, and 12%, respectively. The transverse and longitudinal mechanical properties of the double-wire wall were consistent, and the fracture mode of both was ductile fracture.